Robert Kemp (1908 – 1967) was a Scottish playwright. Along with Tom Fleming and Lennox Milne, he was a founder of the Edinburgh Gateway Company (1953–1965).Elder, Michael (2003), ''What do You do During the Day?'', Eldon Productions, p. 15,

Biography

He was born in 1908, at Longhope in

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, where his father was the minister. Educated at

Robert Gordon's College Robert Gordon's College is a co-educational private school for day pupils in Aberdeen, Scotland. The school caters for pupils from Nursery through to S6. History Background Robert Gordon, an Aberdeen merchant, made his fortune in 18th cent ...

and the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

, he lived in London and then in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

(in Warriston Crescent). Before turning to drama, he trained as a journalist with ''The'' ''Guardian''. From the time he adapted

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's '' L'Ecole des Femmes'' for the Scottish stage in 1947 he sought to promote a distinctly national drama, often employing Scots dialogue. His ''A Trump for Jericho'', a comedy set in the

New Town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

of Edinburgh at the time of the Disruption in 1843 was first performed by the Scottish National Players in 1947. He also wrote plays for the Glasgow Citizens and Dundee Repertory Theatre.Graves, Charles, "Drama", in Reid, J.M. (1951), ''Some Scottish Arts: An Outline'', Serif Books Ltd.,

, pp. 13 - 20 In 1948, working with

Tyrone Guthrie Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at ...

, he staged a revival of Scotland's first Scottish play, David Lyndsay's '' Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis'' and, also in 1948, he coined the phrase "Edinburgh Festival Fringe". His adaptation of Allan Ramsay's '' The Gentle Shepherd'' was staged at the Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland in 1949. He died in 1967, aged 58 or 59.

Published work

Robert Kemp's plays include: * ''Let Wives Tak Tent'' (1948): a free translation into Scots of Molière's '' L'école des femmes'' inspired by the Compagnie Jouvet of Paris's production of the play at the first

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

in 1947 * ''A Trump for Jericho'' (1947), Brown, Son & Ferguson Ltd. (1985) and Players Press (1996) * '' The Heart is Highland'' (1954) * ' (1954): a free translation into Scots of Molière's '' L'avare'' (The Miser) * ''The Penny Wedding'' (1957), Brown, Son & Ferguson Ltd. (1985) * ''The Scientific Singers'' / ''A Nest of Singing Birds'' (1955 / 1957), Brown, Son & Ferguson Ltd. (1985) * ''Off A Duck's Back'' (1961) * ''The Other Dear Charmer'', Brown, Son & Ferguson Ltd. (1985) * ''The Perfect Gent'' (1962) * ''The Asset'' (play) * ''Master

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

'', St. Andrew Press (1960) * ''Venom for Two'', Brown, Son & Ferguson Ltd. (1985)

Other plays

* ''Seven Bottles for the Maestro'' (1945) * ''When the Star Fell'' (1946), a nativity play staged for Christmas at the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

's Gateway Theatre at 41 Elm Row, EdinburghMackie, Archibald D., "Forty-One Elm Row", in ''The Twelve Seasons of the Edinburgh Gateway Company, 1953 - 1965'', St. Giles Press, Edinburgh, pp. 3- 6 * ''Conspirators'' (1955) * ''Marigold'' (1955), a musical play, with music by

Cedric Thorpe Davie Cedric Thorpe Davie OBE (30 May 1913 – 18 January 1983) was a musician and composer, most notably of film scores such as '' The Green Man'' in 1956. A high proportion of his film and documentary music and his concert pieces have a Scottish the ...

* ''The Man Among the Roses'' (1956), a verse play based on the ballad of

Tam Lin Tam Lin, also known as Tamas-Lin, Tamlane, Tamlene, Tamlin, Tambling, Tomlin, Tam-Lien, Tam-a-Line, Tam-Lyn or Tam-Lane, is a character in the legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders. History The story of Tam Lin revolves around ...

* ''The Daft Days'' (1957), adapted from the novel by Neil Munro * ''Rob Roy'' (1960), adapted from the novel by Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

References

External links

Special Collection of Robert Kemp's work held by Glasgow University Library.
1908 births 1967 deaths People educated at Robert Gordon's College Alumni of the University of Aberdeen 20th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights Theatre in Scotland Scots-language writers Scottish Renaissance Writers from Orkney Edinburgh Festival Fringe {{Scotland-bio-stub

Biography

Published work

Other plays

Further reading

References

External links